Blue’s Clues was before my kids, but we saw reruns and Lily was hooked! It was a great show and Steve had kind eyes and a soothing voice. It helped regulate my emotions as much as my child’s. Motherhood never came naturally and I was overwhelmed often. Blue’s Clues gave both of us a much needed toddler down time!
This was around 2011 and you could get lost down a rabbit hole on the internet. I discovered that Blue’s best friend, Steve, had some pretty cool music that wasn’t just for kids.
And then life happened and I forgot about Blue and Steve.
Then the world got really loud and scary. I turned to TikTok. I have some strong thoughts on social media, but as an adult, I enjoy it in small doses. And one day I scrolled to a video of Steve Burns and he said,”How are you? Are you doing okay?” Not for my kids, but for me. And it hit me, that voice. It was soothing. He really sounded interested. It was emotionally regulating. I was hooked again!
And time passed and I would see Steve every so often. He would always greet me and seemed to “listen”. When life got loud, Steve was quiet.
Then, Steve got a podcast. It was good! It went into my rotation. I didn’t listen all the time, but I would binge a few at a time.
Blue is long forgotten. While she was well loved, my kids are grown. Their interests are more complicated than a short mystery with a super cute blue pup.
Then Friday…and Steve made me cry. Real, snotty tears, CRY! Rich was picking up our oldest from theatre class late at night. Our youngest was watching a movie. I was doom scrolling, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. And Steve comes across my FYP. He invited me in. He seemed off, but asked me to sit. My chest tightened. It felt like this man that usually had such a soothing voice, sounded almost mad. It almost felt like it was a break up. He wanted to define our “relationship”. It was a promo for the upcoming podcast about parasocial relationships.
Blue’s Clues was not part of my childhood, but it was definitely part of my kids’. For me, Steve was like another parent. His kid, Blue, played with my kids. Then my kids got older and we drifted. Then we drifted back through social media and we still had similar interests and great conversations.
What this question meant to me…the passage of time. Steve and I met when I was in the toddler trenches. My kids aren’t toddlers. We are looking at colleges for our oldest who will be a senior next year. Our youngest started middle school this year and blushes when she talks about boys. Life seems to have raced by!
Steve Burns is one of my longest running “our kids play together” friends! We’ve been through a whole lot, but I remember where we came from. I was a new mom and he had a dog that played with my kids for about 15-20 minutes.
Now, Steve and I are in our 50s. My kids don’t want to watch Blue’s Clues. Our oldest will probably find the podcast episode about parasocial relationships fascinating. I just really feel the passage of time and the heaviness of the world! A world that has gotten so very big since Steve and I first met.
